|
Authors
|
Abdoli, I.; Sharma, A.; Löwen, H.
|
|
Title
|
Enhanced efficiency in shear-loaded Brownian gyrators
|
|
Date
|
19.03.2025
|
|
Number
|
0
|
|
Abstract
|
A Brownian gyrator is a system in which a particle experiences thermal noise from two distinct heat baths. This nonequilibrium setup inherently generates a nonzero torque, leading to gyrating motion around a potential energy minimum. As a minimal model for a heat engine, the Brownian gyrator provides valuable insight into energy conversion and nonequilibrium dynamics. Here, we investigate the effect of an externally imposed shear flow on a Brownian gyrator, treating it as a mechanical load. The shear flow introduces a tunable mechanism that allows the system to operate either as a heat engine, extracting work from the temperature gradient, or as a refrigerator, transferring heat from the colder to the hotter bath. Focusing on the heat engine regime, we analytically derive the steady-state probability distribution to compute the average torque exerted by the gyrator and quantify the mechanical power extracted from the shear. Our results show a remarkable increase in efficiency compared to the standard Brownian gyrator without shear, approaching Carnot efficiency at maximum power. Surprisingly, we also find that while the system can operate efficiently as a heat engine, it may become unstable before reaching the stall condition, highlighting a fundamental trade-off between efficiency and stability in shear-driven microscopic engines.
|
|
Publisher
|
American Institute of Physics
|
|
Wikidata
|
|
|
Citation
|
Physics of Fluids 37 (2025) 047119
|
|
DOI
|
https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0265416
|
|
Tags
|
|
